Rotary paddle latches are often used on vehicle storage doors. Rotary paddle latches may also be used for personnel doors on vehicles committed to off-road or non-highway use. An example of a rotary paddle latch is shown in Peters U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,964.
The latch mechanism shown in Peters patent includes a latch bar rectilinearly sliding perpendicular to the plane of rotation of a pivotally mounted, spring biased latch plate. The latch plate has a cam thereon cooperating with the forward end of the sliding latch bar selectively to hold the latch plate in one of three positions. The other end of the Peters latch bar has an abutment thereon selectively engaged by a locking bar in its locked position to preclude sliding movement. The rotary latch structure of the Peters patent includes certain manufacturing and operational disadvantages.
For example, the pivotal latch plate in Peters is pivotally mounted directly to the latch body pan in an off-center position. This off-center pivotal mounting of the latch plate requires separate parts to be made for left and right vehicle doors or requires the striker bar to be mounted at different relative vertical positions on the left and right doors. The pivotal mounting of the latch plate directly to the latch body pan may not provide the structural integrity required since the latch plate is repeatedly subjected to door closure forces. Additionally, when the door is open, the Peters latch bar is held in its retracted position by the latch plate being pivoted to an unlatched position across the latch bar's path of travel. In this position, the latch bar abutment blocks the latching bar from being moved into its locked position.
Other rotary paddle latch mechanisms are shown in the prior art cited in the Peters patent. Particular attention is directed to the refrigerator latch shown in Burke U.S. Pat. No. 2,767,007 which includes a spring biased, pivotally mounted latch bolt cooperating with a pivotally mounted spring biased latch operating cam.
A number of paddle latches are disclosed in U.S. patents issued to The Eastern Company. Generally these latches include a "disconnect" mechanism that connects or disconnects the paddle from the latching mechanism according to whether or not the latch is unlocked or locked, respectively. U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,642 discloses such a paddle latch. In FIGS. 14-24 of that patent, a latch having an engaging latch plate and cam is shown. In that latch, the striker bar is encountered on one side of the latch plate opposite the cam. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,634,147 to Robertson a latch is disclosed having a stepped cam on a tripping pawl and a cam follower on a latch plate.